Sony Details The Monsters & Magic of Soul Sacrifice on PS Vita

Sony Producer Kumi Yuasa has shared details today from Gamescom 2012 on the monsters and magic of Soul Sacrifice for the PS Vita handheld console.

To quote: It's been a while since our last Soul Sacrifice blog post, so with Gamescom taking place this week I thought I'd take a moment to share some new game details.

In our debut post, we talked about the reality-blended experience and the concept of sacrificing in Soul Sacrifice on PS Vita. Now, I'm going to provide a deeper insight into the game.

In the world of Soul Sacrifice, monsters are what have become of humans who succumbed to darkness, using magic according to their desire. The mission of a sorcerer is to exterminate these monsters.

Now, you may be wondering what sort of monsters you will come across and how they succumbed to this fate. Let's take a look at the back story of one of these monsters - "Griffon."

Griffon

He was a noble. His lands were vast, and he lived in opulence, supported by heavy taxes exacted from those who lived in his dominion. One day, he was presented with an offering from the people - a golden statue of a figure combining beast, bird, and man.

His heart was swept away by the figure, and he felt an unnatural adoration for it. The power of the unnatural love was such that it drove him to kill his wife for hiding the statue from him. The years passed, and eventually the people rose up in rebellion, unable to further shoulder the burden of the noble's oppressive taxes.

They swarmed around the noble's castle and found him in his treasure vault. By the time they found him, however, he was no longer human. His love of gold had allowed the golden statue, which he loved without limit, to take over his body, transforming him into the statue's likeness.

Now that you've gotten a glimpse into the background of how Griffon was spawned, let's see what magic you have at your disposal to battle against him and other monsters.

Plants, stones, and other materials obtained in the game are given up as offerings. These offerings grant you magical powers - the more valuable the offering, the stronger the sorcery it unleashes.

Plant Sword

Plants such as "swordsman's seedlings" and "swordmaster's seedlings" can be given as an offering to harness this close combat magic. The seedlings grow sharp and hard, cutting enemies with their edges.

Raijin Statue Axe

"Thunderstone razors" and "Thunderstone blades" can be given as an offering to harness this close combat magic. The axe, shrouded in thunder, can strike tremendous blows.

Giant's Bones

"Giant's bones" can be given as an offering to harness close combat magic. Your fist becomes hardened and massive, striking down all before you.

Stone Wall Ruins

"Stone wall ruins" can be given as an offering to harness defensive magic. An enormous defensive wall appears, protecting you from your enemies' attacks.

I've watched the trailer and the magic looks amazing! But I'm kind sceptical of the "plant" weapons. They don't look as good as the average blades in most game, if they want to try something different it should be more appealing, not just leaves on a root.